The starry galas being held on the 31st floor of the Trump Tower during the Toronto International Film Festival this week will be a vast departure from the bustling construction site that occupied the exact same space just a week ago.

The extensive retrofitting of the 110-seat restaurant — situated halfway up the 65-storey hotel and residence at Bay and Adelaide Sts. — was completed in just five days so the venue could host events during TIFF. Stock, the opulent former steakhouse, closed its doors a little more than a week ago. The more playful but still lush America had a soft-launch opening on Aug. 30.

Over the course of the festival, America will be home to press conferences, official after parties and a gala dinner. Some of the A-listers expected include Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell, Andrew Garfield and Laura Dern.

“Our goal was to get this done prior to TIFF because we thought it would be a great opportunity to show off what we’ve done over TIFF and it’s a very exciting time in the city of Toronto,” says Michael Bonacini, a partner in Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants.

Here’s a look at how the quick-change occurred.

CRAFTING A CONCEPT

Before colour swatches could be considered or demolition could be done, the heads of INK and O&B had to pick a concept for their newest enterprise.

They wanted something strong and unapologetic, and one name just kept bubbling to the surface of every conversation.

“America just kept coming back to us,” says Bonacini.

For Charles Khabouth, CEO of INK Entertainment, Donald Trump himself was a source of inspiration. From his blonde-ish hair to his brash attitude, the entrepreneur is really the epitome of everything American, Khabouth explains.

That doesn’t mean patrons will see giant American flags or paintings of Trump’s face in the new space, however.

“It’s about the subtleties of it. It’s not in-your-face stars and bars,” Bonacini says.

Khabouth sees the new restaurant as catering to a crowd that wants to interact between tables over dinner, a concept he calls “social dining.”

“The whole idea behind the restaurant was to create a much more social scene, a much more interactive scene,” he explains.

WHAT SHALL WE EAT?

Once they had a concept, the team had a direction for what would appear on the menu: American food. But the nod to the States is subtle when it comes to the menu, too, Bonacini says.

“American food doesn’t have to be over the top and opulent. We can have caviar, foie gras and truffles, but it can be everything in between.”

From Georgia peaches to Midwestern buckwheat flour, the menu will include ingredients from around the country.

There will be a crispy frog leg Cobb salad, with frogs sourced from the Florida Everglades. The lunch menu will have an oyster po’boy sandwich. Eventually, a foie gras flapjack will make its way onto the dinner menu.

“It’s going to be like taking Route 66 around every state of America. I think we’ve created a canvas that’s as big and diverse as we want it to be,” Bonacini says.

MAKE IT LUSH, FAST

With just a week to replace the existing furniture and décor, design was integral to making America’s transformation happen fast.

Hundreds of pieces of furniture were custom built off-site at a shop in Woodbridge over the course of about four months. Each piece had to be luxurious, but it also needed to be constructed in a way that allowed installation crews to get it into the new space quickly. The tables, chairs and banquettes not only had to fit in America, but in the cargo elevator up to the 31st floor, too.

The pieces also had to fit Khabouth’s “social dining” vision.

Stock’s long banquettes have been replaced by two-seater settees upholstered in rich fabrics, where guests can really cozy up to one another.

Several of America’s walls have been covered in fabric, and giant custom works of art hang over top.

To finish the space, Khabouth visited antique shops all over North America, picking out mirrors, candle holders and other accessories.

“This is definitely a luxury kind of space,” he says.

LET US LOUNGE

Transforming the lounge area was key to turning stuffy Stock into the mature, bold entertainment environment Khabouth and Bonacini envisioned.

While America’s physical bar remained relatively unchanged, the lounge area was completely revamped with new lighting, furniture and a DJ booth.

Light fixtures have all been converted to LEDs that can change colour or be dimmed to create the right mood.

“Lighting is very important,” Khabouth says. “It needs to make you want to stay.”

All of the tables in the lounge are now hydraulic, meaning they can be raised or lowered, depending on whether the need is for tall cocktail tables or low loungers.

Crushed velvet and mohair have replaced leather on the seats, creating a welcoming, lush environment and solving the problem that plagues all women who sit on leather in short skirts.

FITTING IT ALL IN

Getting America’s massive transformation complete in a single week took some creative scheduling.

A lot of “exploratory work” had to be done ahead of time to find out what pieces could be moved, demolished or otherwise changed, and tradespeople have been covertly popping into the restaurant for months to measure and plan, Bonacini says.

When the restaurant closed on Aug. 20 and the real work finally got underway, crews worked 24 hours a day, doing electrical work, painting and installation.

“It really has been a hive of activity,” Bonacini says.

Virtually every hour was carefully planned out — particularly when it came to using the tower’s single cargo elevator. Every piece of equipment and furniture had to be brought up to the 31st floor, so the elevator played a key part in the retrofit.

That doesn’t mean the schedule always went as planned. At one point, a piece of equipment was about half an inch too big to fit in the elevator. To compensate, crews removed a panel from the lift, but the solution took some time and threw a kink in the project’s schedule.

RELEARNING THE JOB

While construction crews were busy transforming the space, America’s chefs, managers and servers were busy learning about the restaurant’s new dishes, wine lists and layout.

Many of the staff were previously employed at Stock, or at other restaurants owned by INK or O&B.

“But this is a whole new animal,” Khabouth says.

Each staff member had to undergo intense training to learn everything from what their new uniform consists of to which dishes can be ordered with sauce on the side.

The vision of the new restaurant also had to be communicated to everyone, Bonacini explains.

“If they all understand the vision of America, buy in on it, believe it and walk the talk, it has a huge positive effect on the chances of success of delivering that true America experience.”

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